Cities

In an Alternative Press interview about the new album Cities, lead vocalist Stephen Christian commented that the lyrics throughout Anberlin’s discography are progressively becoming more adult: “The first album, Blueprints for the Black Market (2003), was childish in the fact that it was Man vs. World. The last album, Never Take Friendship Personal (2005), was Man vs. Man. Cities, however, is Man vs. Self.”

With Cities, Anberlin successfully picks up where they left off with Never Take Friendship Personal, and in so doing bring all their best attributes to the table - contagious drum grooves behind infectiously driving guitars and, of course, the unmistakable vocal presence of Stephen Christian. Most importantly, Cities proves that a band can improve upon itself album after album, and that is precisely what Anberlin has done. Highlights of the album include “Adelaide” and “The Unwinding Cable Car,” although every track screams quality and adds to the album’s likeability. The first single of the album “Godspeed,” was released a month prior to the album release and sums up a focus of the album with the hook line “they lied when they said the good die young.” Point blank, Cities proves that Anberlin is maturing alongside their audience demographic.